Method of manufacturing card-type storage device and card-type storage device

ABSTRACT

A method of manufacturing a small, thin card-type storage device is capable of easily manufacturing a frame for the storage device from a variety of resin materials without molding a very thin recessed bottom of the supporter. The method prepares a card-type support frame member from resin and a sheet material, cuts the sheet material into the size of the support frame member, to form a support sheet, bonds the support sheet to a bottom surface of the support frame member, to form a frame, and fits a memory module to be fixed in an opening of the support frame member in the frame, thereby completing the card-type storage device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a card-typestorage device and a card-type storage device. In particular, thepresent invention relates to a technique for facilitating manufacturinga frame that supports a semiconductor memory, and for enabling thestorage device itself to indicate contents stored in the storage device,in a thin type card-type storage that incorporates a semiconductormemory.

2. Description of the Background Art

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the structure of a conventional standard card-typestorage device, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view and FIG. 2 asectional view.

This type of storage device is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No.5,550,709.

A conventional technique for manufacturing such a card-type storagedevice injection-molds a card-type frame 111 of solid body from plastic.The frame 111 has an opening 111 a to receive a memory module 113. Thememory module 113 has a semiconductor memory 113 a and a flat electrode113 b and is fitted into the opening 111 a of the frame 111 to be fixedsuch that the flat electrode 113 b is exposed.

Above-mentioned conventional technique for manufacturing the car-typestorage device, however, has the following problems.

Apparatuses such as digital cameras that employ card-type storagedevices are becoming smaller, and therefore, the card-type storagedevices are required to be smaller and thinner. In the thin storagedevice of FIGS. 1 and 2, the frame 111, which is injection-molded intosolid body, must have a very thin recessed bottom 111 b under theopening 111 a for receiving the memory module 113. To form such a thinbottom 111 b, a precision metal mold must be prepared through difficultprocesses, and the inside of the metal mold must be kept under a lowpressure when injecting resin into it. This complicates the structure ofa molding mechanism and makes the resin injection work difficult.

There is a risk of injection-molding the thin bottom 111 b into anunwanted shape depending on resin material used for the frame 111. Moreparticularly, to correctly form the thin bottom 111 b, molten resin mustbe injected into the corners of a metal mold. To achieve this, the resinmust be heated to reduce the viscosity thereof and must be injected intothe injection point of the metal mold with great pressure. At this time,however, the resin will burn due to frictional heat if the resin has lowheat resistance. If heat-resistive resin is used to avoid the problem,it may deform the thin bottom 111 b because the heat-resistive resin hashigh viscosity.

There are only limited resin materials that may correctly form acard-type frame having a thin recessed bottom. Such materials includeMULTIRON TN-3813-B of Teijin Chemical Company. This resin material,however, has limited applications because it is incapable of formingtransparent or translucent card-type frame that withstands a hightemperature of 100 degrees centigrade or higher.

In this way, the conventional technique is hardly capable ofmanufacturing thin, small card-type storage devices having a thinrecessed bottom 111 b.

Making a card-type storage device with transparent or translucentmaterial provides an advantage to show an image printed on the storagedevice to a user so that the user may easily recognize the contents ofinformation stored therein, as a characteristic of above mentionedcard-type storage device. However, the conventional technique allowsonly limited materials to form card-type frame 111 of solid body.Accordingly, the conventional technique is unable to freely formtransparent or translucent card-type storage devices to meet variousapplications for card-type frame thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a method ofmanufacturing a small, thin card-type storage device, capable of easilymanufacturing a frame for the storage device from a variety of resinmaterials without forming a very thin recessed bottom of the frame.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a card-typestorage device enabling the storage device to indicate contents storedtherein.

In order to accomplish the objects, the present invention forms acard-type storage device frame with a sheet and a support frame member.The sheet and support frame member may be made of transparent ortranslucent material.

More precisely, one aspect of the present invention provides a method ofmanufacturing a card-type storage device, including the steps of (a)preparing a card-type support frame member having an opening, (a′)preparing a sheet material, (b) cutting the sheet material into the sizeof the support frame member, to form a support sheet, (c) bonding thesupport sheet to a bottom surface of the support frame member, to form aframe, and (d) fitting a memory module to be fixed in the opening of thesupport frame member in the frame. The memory module has at least onesemiconductor memory sealed therein on a first surface of the memorymodule and a flat external terminal exposed on a second surface of thememory module. The memory module is fitted in the opening of the supportframe member in the frame such that the second surface thereof alignswith a top surface of the frame.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a method ofmanufacturing a card-type storage device, including the steps of (aa)preparing a card-type support frame member having an opening, (aa′)preparing a sheet material, (bb) bonding a bottom surface of the supportframe member onto the sheet material, (cc) cutting the sheet materialalong the support frame member, to form a frame made of the supportframe member and the cut sheet material serving as a support sheetattached to the bottom surface of the support frame member, and (dd)fitting a memory module to be fixed in the opening of the support framemember in the frame. The memory module has at least one semiconductormemory sealed therein on a first surface of the memory module and a flatexternal terminal exposed on a second surface of the memory module.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a method ofmanufacturing card-type storage devices, including the steps of (aaa)preparing, from resin, a frame member set made of consecutively joinedcard-type support frame members each having an opening, as well as asheet material whose size is substantially equal to or larger than theframe member set; (bbb) bonding a bottom surface of the frame member setonto the sheet material, (ccc) cutting the frame set along the supportframe members to simultaneously form frames each made of the supportframe member and the cut sheet material serving as a support sheetattached to the bottom surface of the support frame member, and (ddd)fitting a memory module to be fixed in the opening of the support framemember of each of the frames. The memory module has at least onesemiconductor memory sealed with resin on a first surface of the memorymodule and a flat external terminal exposed on a second surface of thememory module.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a method ofmanufacturing a card-type storage device, including a card-type supportframe member made of resin and having an opening, a support sheet bondedto a bottom surface of the support frame member, and a memory modulehaving at least one semiconductor memory sealed with resin on a firstsurface of the memory module and a flat external terminal exposed on asecond surface of the memory module. The method includes the steps of(a) preparing the support frame member and a sheet material, (b) cuttingthe sheet material into the size of the support frame member, to formthe support sheet, (c) bonding the support sheet to the bottom surfaceof the support frame member, to form a frame, and (d) fitting the memorymodule to be fixed in the opening of the support frame member in theframe.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a card-type storagedevice having a card-type support frame member having an opening andmade of transparent or translucent material, a support sheet bonded to abottom surface of the support frame member, and a memory module havingat least one semiconductor memory sealed therein on a first surface ofthe memory module and a flat external terminal exposed on a secondsurface of the memory module. The card-type storage device ismanufactured by the steps of (a″) preparing the support frame member anda sheet material, (b″) cutting the sheet material into the size of thesupport frame member, to form the support sheet, (c″) bonding thesupport sheet to the bottom surface of the support frame member, to forma frame, and (d″) fitting the memory module to be fixed in the openingof the support frame member in the frame.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a card-type storagedevice having (a) a frame and (b) a memory module. The frame includes acard-type support frame member having an opening and made of resin, anda support sheet bonded to a bottom surface of the support frame member.The support frame member bottomed with the support sheet forms theframe. The memory module includes at least one semiconductor memorysealed therein on a first surface of the memory module and a flatexternal terminal exposed on a second surface of the memory module.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate presently preferred embodiments ofthe invention, and together with the general description given above andthe detailed description of the preferred embodiments given below, serveto explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional standard card-typestorage device;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II—II of FIG. 1 showing aconventional standard card-type storage device;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a card-type storage devicemanufactured according to a method of a first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV—IV of FIG. 3 showing acard-type storage device manufactured according to a method of a firstembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a first surface of a memory module shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a process diagram generally showing the process proceduresaccording to the first embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a support sheet according to thefirst embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a card-type support frame memberaccording to the first embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line IX—IX of FIG. 8 showing thecard-type support frame member according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a card-type frame according to thefirst embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line XI—XI of FIG. 10 showing acard-type frame according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a support sheet with a printedimage;

FIG. 13 is a top perspective view showing a card-type storage devicehaving a transparent or translucent frame;

FIG. 14 is a bottom perspective view showing a card-type storage devicehaving a transparent or translucent frame;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a card-type storage device withanother printed image;

FIG. 16 is a front view showing a card-type storage device of FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a back view showing a card-type storage device of FIG. 15.

FIG. 18 is a process diagram generally showing process proceduresaccording to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 19A, 19B and 19C are sectional view explaining manufacturing stepsof the second embodiment;

FIG. 20 is a process diagram generally showing process proceduresaccording to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a plan view explaining manufacturing steps of the thirdembodiment;

FIG. 22 is a sectional view taken along line XXII—XXII of FIG. 21explaining manufacturing steps of the third embodiment;

FIG. 23 is a plan view explaining another manufacturing steps of thethird embodiment; and

FIG. 24 is a sectional view taken along line XXIV—XXIV of FIG. 23explaining another manufacturing steps of the third embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Now, the preferred embodiments of the methods of manufacturing card-typestorage devices and the card-type storage devices themselves accordingto the present invention will be explained in detail with reference toFIGS. 3 to 24.

First Embodiment

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a card-type storage devicemanufactured according to the first embodiment of the present inventionand FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along a line IV—IV of FIG. 3. FIG.5 shows a first surface of a memory module installed in the storagedevice of FIGS. 3 and 4.

This storage device is a so-called “SmartMedia” (that is registeredtrademark), which is a small, thin card-type storage device. The storagedevice comprises the memory module 13 of about, for example, 0.665 mmthick and a card-type frame 10 of about 0.76 mm ±0.08 mm thick.

The frame 10 comprises a card-type support frame member 11 made of resinhaving an opening 11 a, and a support sheet 12 bonded to a bottomsurface of the support frame member 11. The opening 11 a consists of arecess 11 b and a through hole 11 c that is formed at the bottom of therecess 11 b and is smaller than the recess 11 b. Making the through hole11 c smaller than the recess 11 b is to firmly fit a semiconductormemory 13 b of the memory module 13 to be fixed in the opening 11 a. Thesupport frame member 11 has a write-protect area 11 d for prohibitingdata in the memory 13 b from being rewritten, and a label area 11 e.

The memory module 13 has a circuit board 13 a having first and secondsurfaces. The semiconductor memory 13 b is sealed with resin on thefirst surface of the circuit board 13 a. Each connection terminal of thesemiconductor memory 13 b is connected to a wire 13e, which is connectedto a through hole 13 d. The through hole 13 d is connected to a flatexternal terminal 13 c, which is arranged on the second surface of thecircuit board 13 a. The memory module 13 is fitted to the support frame11 such that the second surface of the memory module 13 aligns with atop surface of the support frame member 11.

The memory module 13 fits to be fixed in the opening 11 a of the frame10 such that the flat external terminal 13 c is exposed. More precisely,as shown in FIG. 4, the circuit board 13 a is engaged in the recess 11 bof the opening 11 a, and the terminal 13 c is flush with and exposedfrom the top surface of the frame 10. At the same time, thesemiconductor memory 13 b fits to be fixed in the through hole 11 c.Namely, the recess 11 b and through hole 11 c of the opening 11 a form astepped structure to properly hold the semiconductor memory 13 b and theterminal 13 c of the memory module 13. The semiconductor memory 13 b is,for example, a flash memory or a mask ROM.

Next, a method of manufacturing the card-type storage device accordingto the first embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6 to11.

FIG. 6 is a process diagram generally showing the manufacturing methodof the first embodiment. FIGS. 7 to 11 show manufacturing stepsaccording to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showingthe card-type support frame member 11 and FIG. 9 is a sectional viewtaken along a line IX—IX of FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a perspective viewshowing the card-type frame 10 and FIG. 11 is a sectional view takenalong a line XI—XI of FIG. 10.

Step S11 prepares a sheet material of 0.10 mm to 0.17 mm thick. Step S12cuts the sheet material into the size of the card-type support framemember 11, to form a support sheet 12 shown in FIG. 7, for example. Atthe same time, step S13 prepares the support frame member 11 having theopening 11 a by, for example, injection molding as shown in FIGS. 8 and9. The thickness of the support frame member 11 is, for example, about0.665 mm, which is the same as the thickness of the memory module 13.

Step S14 bonds the support sheet 12 to a bottom surface of the supportframe member 11 with the use of adhesive agent, for example, to form thecard-type frame 10 as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. In the frame 10, thebottom of the opening 11 a of the support frame member 11 is closed withthe support sheet 12. It is necessary to precisely align the supportsheet 12 with the support frame member 11.

The last step S15 fixes the memory module 13 in the opening 11 a of theframe 10 with the use of, for example, adhesive agent, therebycompleting the card-type storage device shown in FIG. 3.

When the thickness of the storage device must be equalized to that of abank card or credit card, i.e., about 0.76 mm ±0.08 mm, the recessbottom 111 b should be formed (FIG. 2) to 0.13 mm to 0.15 mm. Therefor,it is nearly impossible for the conventional technique to form thecard-type supporter having such a thin recess bottom by injectionmolding from transparent or translucent material with respect to theabove “SmartMedia”.

On the other hand, the manufacturing method of the first embodiment iscapable of forming a small, thin card-type frame 10 without molding avery thin part of 0.2 mm thick or thinner from resin material even withsmall and thin card-type storage device such as “SmartMedia”. As aresult, the frame 10 of the first embodiment is manufacturable with theuse of existing metal molds and injection molding machines. The frame 10of the first embodiment is easily molded from an extended range of resinmaterials including transparent and translucent resin materials.Accordingly, the support frame member 11 and support sheet 12 that formthe frame 10 may easily be formed to be transparent or translucent. Whenthe frame 10 is transparent or translucent, an image that indicates anddisplays contents stored in the memory module 13 may be printed on theframe 10, so that a user may easily recognize the contents stored in thecard-type storage device. In other words, the first embodiment enables acard-type storage device to have an indication of contents stored in thestorage device. The indication may be an image representing contentssuch as music, book text, images, or voice reading a book.

Such an image is, for example, a photograph or picture of a singer whosings the music stored in the storage device in computer readableelectronic format. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a picture 12 bof a singer. FIG. 16 is a front view of FIG. 15, as well as FIG. 17 is aback view of FIG. 15.

The indication may be other than images. For example, the indication maybe characters or letters. Such characters may be a code that uniquelyidentifies a particular music album by a particular singer or aparticular book by a particular writer. Further, such characters may bejust a title of a particular book.

To make the support frame member 11 and support sheet 12 transparent ortranslucent, they may be made from polycarbonate. The polycarbonateframe member 11 and sheet 12 hardly warp when they are bonded togetherinto the frame 10, so that the frame 10 may be flat. One of the supportframe member 11 and support sheet 12 may be made of polycarbonate, andthe other polyester. This structure enables an image to firmly beprinted on the frame 10.

Next, an example of processing a card-type frame 10 comprisingtransparent support frame member 11 and sheet 12 will be explained.

After a transparent or translucent sheet is cut into the support sheet12 in step S12 of FIG. 6, an image 12 a of, for example, FIG. 14 isprinted on the support sheet 12 in step S12 b. Thereafter, steps S13,S14, and S15 are successively carried out to complete the transparent ortranslucent frame 10. A user can see the image 12 a through thetransparent or translucent frame 10 as shown in a top perspective viewof FIG. 13 and a bottom perspective view of FIG. 14. The image 12 a isprinted on the support sheet 12, and then, the support sheet 12 isbonded to the support frame member 11 to form the frame 10. Thisimproves the value of the card-type storage device serving as a packagemedium, that is a package marketed with contents.

Instead of printing an image on the support sheet 12 in step S12 b, animage may be printed on a sheet material that is not cut yet, in stepS11 b. Namely, step S11 b prints the image 12 a of FIG. 12 on the sheetmaterial prepared in step S11 in a surface area where the support framemember 11 is to be bonded, and thereafter, step S12 cuts the sheetmaterial into the support sheet 12.

Further, the image 12 a may be preferably printed on the surface of thesupport sheet 12 that is to be bonded to the support frame member 11, sothat the image 12 a may withstand abrasion. Yet further, the surface ofthe support sheet 12 on which the image 12 a is printed may be coatedwith a thin film to prevent adhesive agent from deteriorating or erasingthe image 12 a.

Second Embodiment

FIGS. 18 to 19C show a method of manufacturing a card-type storagedevice according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Thedifference of the second embodiment from the first embodiment will beexplained.

FIG. 18 is a process diagram generally showing the manufacturing methodof the second embodiment, and FIGS. 19A to 19C explain manufacturingprocesses of the second embodiment.

Step S21 prepares a sheet material 12A of 0.10 mm to 0.17 mm thick asshown in FIG. 19A. The size of the sheet material 12A is larger than thesupport frame member 11. Step S22 prepares the support frame member 11,which is the same as that of FIGS. 8 and 9.

Step S23 bonds a bottom surface of the support frame member 11 onto thesheet material 12A as shown in FIG. 19B. Step S24 cuts the sheetmaterial 12A along the support frame member 11 as shown in FIG. 19C, tocomplete a card-type frame 10 like the one shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.

The last step S25 fits a memory module 13 to be fixed in an opening 11 aof the support frame member 11 with the use of, for example, adhesiveagent, to complete a card-type storage device like the one shown in FIG.3.

In this way, the second embodiment prepares the large sheet material12A, bonds the card-type support frame member 11 onto the sheet material12A, and cuts the sheet material 12A along the support frame member 11.Unlike the first embodiment, the second embodiment requires no precisionwhen attaching the support frame member 11 to the sheet material 12A,thereby making the manufacturing of a card-type storage device easier.

To print an image 12 a, step S21 prepares the sheet material 12A first,and step S21 b prints the image 12 a in an area of the sheet material12A where the support frame member 11 is to be bonded. Thereafter, stepS23 bonds the support frame member 11 and sheet material 12A together,and step S24 cuts the sheet material 12A along the support frame member11.

Like the first embodiment, it is preferable to print the image 12 a onthe surface area of the sheet material 12A that is to be bonded to thesupport frame member 11 and to coat the image-printed surface of thesheet material 12A with a thin film, to realize the effects of the firstembodiment (FIGS. 13 and 14).

Third Embodiment

FIGS. 20 to 24 show a method of manufacturing a card-type storage deviceaccording to the third embodiment of the present invention. Thedifference of the third embodiment from the first and second embodimentwill be explained.

FIG. 20 is a process diagram generally showing the manufacturing methodof the third embodiment, and FIGS. 21 to 24 explain manufacturingprocesses of the third embodiment.

Step S31 prepares, from resin, a frame member set made of consecutivelyjoined card-type support frame members 11 as shown in FIG. 21. Eachboundary between the adjacent frame members 11 is provided with atapered cut 11 f as shown in FIG. 22. At the same time, step S32prepares a sheet material 12A whose size corresponds to the frame memberset. The tapered cuts 11 f make the following cut process easier, reducestress on the support frame members 11, and provide smooth cut edges.The size of the sheet material 12A is substantially equal to or slightlylarger than the size of the frame member set.

Step S33 bonds a bottom surface of the frame member set onto the sheetmaterial 12A as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24. Step S34 uses the cuts 11 f asguides to cut and separate the support frame members 11 and sheetmaterial 12A from one another with the use of a metal mold, tosimultaneously form card-type frames 10 each consisting of the supportframe member 11 and a support sheet 12 attaching to the bottom of thesupport frame member 11.

The last step S35 fits a memory module 13 to be fixed in an opening 11 aof the support frame member 11 of each of the frames 10 with the use of,for example, adhesive agent, thereby simultaneously providing card-typestorage devices each having the structure of FIGS. 3 and 4.

In this way, the third embodiment prepares a frame member set consistingof card-type support frame members 11 from resin, bonds the frame memberset onto a sheet material 12A, and simultaneously cuts the frame memberset and sheet material into card-type frames. Consequently, the thirdembodiment simultaneously produces card-type storage devices each havingthe structure of FIGS. 3 and 4, to make the manufacturing of card-typestorage devices easier and manufacturing costs lower compared with thefirst and second embodiments.

Printing an image 12 a is carried out in the same manner as the secondembodiment. Namely, step S32 prepares a sheet material 12A, and step S32b prints the image 12 a in each area of the sheet material 12A whereeach frame member 11 is to be fixed. Thereafter, step S33 bonds a framemember set and the sheet material 12A together, and step S34 separatessupport frame members 11 from one another.

Like the first embodiment, it is preferable to print the images 12 a onthe surface of the sheet material 12A to be bonded to the frame memberset and to coat the image-printed surface of the sheet material 12A witha thin film, to realize the effects of the first embodiment (FIGS. 13and 14).

In each of the first to third embodiments, the thickness of thecard-type support frame member 11 is equal to the thickness (0.665 mm)of the memory module 13. The thickness of the support frame member 11may be thicker than the memory module 13 by about 0.01 mm to 0.10 mm. Inthis case, there will be a gap between the semiconductor memory 13 b andthe support sheet 12. The gap may relax warping force applied to thecard-type storage device, to prevent a breakage of the memory module 13.

In FIGS. 13 and 14, the image 12 a is printed on the support sheet 12 sothat the image 12 a may not overlap the write-protect area 11 d of thesupport frame member 11 when the support frame member 11 and supportsheet 12 are bonded together. The write-protect area 11 d is an areawhere a write-protect conductive seal is attached to prohibit datastored in the semiconductor memory 13 b from erroneously beingrewritten. The conductive seal is made of adhesive paper coated withaluminum or stainless steel. Usually, the support frame member 11 ismade of nonconductive material, and therefore, two electrodes arebrought in contact with the write-protect area 11 d to check theconductivity of a signal applied between the two electrodes anddetermine whether or not it is write-protected.

If the image 12 a overlaps the write-protect area 11 d, the area 11 dmay partly hide the image 12 a when attaching the conductive seal to thewrite-protect area 11 d. Although partly hiding the image 12 a causes noelectrical or functional problem, it is not preferable in terms ofappearance. Accordingly, it is preferable to estimate and avoid thewrite-protect area 11 d when printing an image on the support sheet 12.Namely, it is preferable to separate the image 12 a from thewrite-protect area 11 d.

Fourth Embodiment

Next, a novel card-type storage device manufactured according to themethod of any one of the embodiments of the present invention will beexplained.

According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, acard-type support frame member and a support sheet are separatelyprepared and are bonded together. Accordingly, the support frame memberand sheet may be made of different materials and may have differentcolors. For example, the support frame member may be white and thesupport sheet red, to form a two-color card-type storage device. Thistechnique enables users to distinguish card-type storage devices, whichhave the same dimensions and shapes and different functions, from oneanother. Among card-type storage devices, there are high-functionstorage devices that store individual identification (ID) data. Suchhigh-function storage devices may be made in two-color structures, andlow-function cards having no identification data in single-colorstructures, so that users may easily distinguish them from others.

In another case, card-type storage devices incorporating flash memoriesthat are electrically programmable may be made in two-color structures,and card-type storage devices incorporating mask ROMs that are read-onlymay be made in single-color structures.

When providing a card-type support frame member and a support sheet withdifferent colors, at least the support frame member may be transparentor translucent so that a user may see an image printed on the supportsheet through the support frame member. The image may indicate contentsto be stored in the storage device, so that the storage device itselfmay display identification data for the contents thereof. Unlikeprinting an image on a label and attaching the label to the storagedevice, the image serving as contents identification data printed on thestorage device thereof is hardly deteriorated or erased.

In summary, as explained above in detail, the present invention cuts asheet material into the size of a card-type support frame member andbonds the cut sheet to a bottom surface of the support frame member, toform a frame for a card-type storage device. The frame involves no thinpart to be molded from resin, and therefore, is applicable even to forma so-called “SmartMedia” that is very small and thin. The supporter ofthe present invention is easy to manufacture from an extended range ofresin materials with the use of existing metal molds and injectingmachines.

Alternatively, the present invention prepares a sheet material largerthan a card-type support frame member, bonds a bottom surface of thesupport frame member onto the sheet material, and then cuts the sheetmaterial along the support frame member to form a frame. This frameprovides the same effect as the above-mentioned frame. This techniqueeliminates a precise alignment between the sheet and the support framemember, to make the manufacturing of a card-type storage device easier.

Alternatively, the present invention prepares a frame member setconsisting of consecutively joined card-type support frame members,bonds a bottom surface of the frame member set onto a sheet material,and then cuts the sheet-bonded frame member set along each of thesupport frame members, to simultaneously produce a plurality frames. Inaddition to the above-mentioned effects, this technique simultaneouslymanufactures a plurality of card-type storage devices to make themanufacturing of card-type storage devices easier and reduce themanufacturing costs of the storage devices.

The present invention extends a range of resin materials to manufacturecard-type storage devices. Namely, the present invention enablestransparent and translucent resin materials to be used for manufacturingsupport frame members and sheets to form transparent and translucentcard-type storage devices.

According to the present invention, an image may be printed on a supportsheet that forms a transparent or translucent frame of a card-typestorage device, so that the image may be seen through the frame. Thisimproves the value of the card-type storage device when marketed as apackage medium.

The image-printed surface of the support sheet may be coated with a filmso that the image may not be deteriorated or erased due to, for example,adhesive agent.

It is to be noted that, besides those already mentioned above, manymodifications and variations of the above embodiments may be madewithout departing from the novel and advantageous features of thepresent invention. Accordingly, all such modifications and variationsare intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a card-type storagedevice comprising the steps of: preparing a card-type support framemember having an opening, the opening comprising a recess and a throughhole formed at the bottom of the recess, wherein the through hole issmaller than the recess; preparing a sheet material; cutting the sheetmaterial the same size as the support frame member to form a supportsheet; bonding the support sheet to a bottom surface of the supportframe member to form a frame; and fixing an end portion of a circuitboard configured as a part of a memory module in the recess of theopening of the support frame member, the memory module having at leastone semiconductor memory electrically connected to the circuit board. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: printing an imageon the sheet material prepared at the sheet material preparing step on asurface area to be bonded to the support frame member to form animage-printed surface, the printing step being carried out before thecutting step.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the image-printedsurface of the support sheet is bonded to the bottom of the supportframe member in the bonding step to form the frame.
 4. The method ofclaim 2, further comprising the step of coating the image-printedsurface area with one of a transparent and translucent film, the coatingstep being carried out before the cutting step.
 5. The method of claim4, further comprising the step of: printing an image on the supportsheet cut in the cutting step to form an image-printed surface, theprinting step being carried out before the bonding step.
 6. The methodof claim 5, wherein the image-printed surface of the support sheet isbonded to the bottom of the support frame member to form the frame. 7.The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of: coating theimage-printed surface area with one of a transparent and translucentfilm, the coating step being carried out before the cutting step.
 8. Themethod of claim 5, wherein the support frame member has a write-protectarea adapted for having applied a write-protect seal indicating thatwriting data into the semiconductor memory is prohibited.
 9. The methodof claim 8, wherein in the printing step, the image is printed on anarea other than the write-protect area.
 10. The method of claim 8,wherein in the support frame member preparing step the write-protectseal is affixed to the write-protect area.
 11. The method of claim 6,further comprising the step of: coating the image-printed surface areawith one of a transparent and translucent film, the coating step beingcarried out before the bonding step.
 12. The method of claim 1, whereinthe opening is provided with a stepped area to hold the semiconductormemory and a flat external terminal of the memory module.
 13. The methodof claim 1, wherein at least one of the support frame member and sheetmaterial is made from one of a transparent and translucent material. 14.The method of claim 13, wherein the support frame member and sheetmaterial are made from materials including at least one of polycarbonateand polyester.
 15. The method of claim 13, further comprising the stepof: printing an image on the sheet material prepared in the sheetmaterial preparing step on a surface area to be bonded to the supportframe member, so that the image may indicate information stored in thememory module.
 16. The method of claim 2, wherein the support framemember has a write-protect area adapted for having applied awrite-protect seal indicating that writing data into the semiconductormemory is prohibited.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein in theprinting step, the image is printed on an area other than thewrite-protect area.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein in the supportframe member preparing step the write-protect seal is affixed to thewrite-protect area.
 19. A method of manufacturing a card-type storagedevice comprising the steps of: preparing a card-type support framemember having an opening, the opening comprising a recess and a throughhole formed at the bottom of the recess, wherein the through hole issmaller than the recess; preparing a sheet material; bonding a bottomsurface of the support frame member onto the sheet material; cutting thesheet material along the support frame member to form a frame made ofthe support frame member, the cut sheet material serving as a supportsheet attached to the bottom surface of the support frame member; andfixing an end portion of a circuit board configured as a part of amemory module in the recess of the opening, the memory module having atleast one semiconductor memory electrically connected to the circuitboard.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of:printing an image on the sheet material prepared at the sheet materialpreparing step on a surface area to be bonded to the support framemember, the printing step being carried out before the bonding step. 21.The method of claim 20, wherein the bottom surface of the support framemember is bonded onto the image-printed surface of the sheet material inthe bonding step.
 22. The method of claim 20, further comprising thestep of: coating the image-printed surface area with one of atransparent and translucent film, the coating step being carried outbefore the bonding step.
 23. The method of claim 19, wherein the openingis provided with a stepped area to hold the semiconductor memory and aflat external terminal of the memory module.
 24. The method of claim 19,wherein at least one of the support frame member and sheet material ismade from one of a transparent and translucent material.
 25. The methodof claim 24, wherein the support frame member and sheet material aremade from materials including at least one of polycarbonate andpolyester.
 26. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of:printing an image on the sheet material prepared in the sheet materialpreparing step on a surface area to be bonded to the support framemember, so that the image may indicate information stored in the memorymodule.
 27. The method of claim 20, wherein the support frame member hasa write-protect area adapted for having applied a write-protect sealindicating that writing data into the semiconductor memory isprohibited.
 28. The method of claim 27, wherein in the printing step,the image is printed on an area other than the write-protect area. 29.The method of claim 27, wherein in the support frame member preparingstep the write-protect seal is affixed to the write-protect area.
 30. Amethod of manufacturing card-type storage devices comprising the stepsof: preparing, from resin, a frame member set made of consecutivelyjoined card-type support frame members, each of the consecutively joinedcard-type support frame members having an opening, each openingcomprising a recess and a through hole formed at the bottom of therecess, wherein the through hole is smaller than the recess; preparing asheet material having a size substantially equal to or larger than asize of the frame member set; bonding a bottom surface of the framemember set onto the sheet material; cutting the frame member set alongthe support frame members to form a plurality of frames, each one of theplurality of frames being made of the support frame member and the cutsheet material serving as a support sheet attached to the bottom surfaceof the support frame member; and fixing an end portion of a circuitboard configured as a part of a memory module in the recess of eachopening, the memory module having at least one semiconductor memoryelectrically connected to the circuit board sealed therein on a firstsurface of the memory module and a flat external terminal exposed on asecond surface of the memory module.
 31. The method of claim 30, furthercomprising the step of: printing an image on the sheet material preparedin the sheet material preparing step on each surface area to be bondedto each support frame member of the frame member set to form animage-printed surface, the printing step being carried out before thebonding step.
 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the bottom surface ofthe frame member set is bonded onto the image-printed surface of thesheet material in the bonding step.
 33. The method of claim 31, furthercomprising the step of: coating the image-printed surface with one of atransparent and translucent film, the coating step being carried outbefore the bonding step.
 34. The method of claim 30, wherein the openingis provided with a stepped area to hold the semiconductor memory and aflat external terminal of the memory module.
 35. The method of claim 30,wherein at least one of the frame member set and sheet material is madefrom one of a transparent and translucent material.
 36. The method ofclaim 35, wherein the frame member set and sheet material are made frommaterials including at least one of polycarbonate and polyester.
 37. Themethod of claim 30, further comprising the step of: printing an image onthe sheet material prepared in the sheet material preparing step on eacharea to be bonded to each support frame member of the frame member set,so that the image may indicate information stored in each memory module.38. The method of claim 31, wherein each support frame in the framemember set has a write-protect area adapted for having applied awrite-protect seal indicating that writing data into the semiconductormemory is prohibited.
 39. The method of claim 38, wherein in theprinting step, the image is printed on an area other than thewrite-protect area.
 40. The method of claim 39, wherein in the framemember set preparing step the write-protect seal is affixed to eachwrite-protect area.
 41. A method of manufacturing a card-type storagedevice, including a card-type support frame member made of resin, asupport sheet bonded to a bottom surface of the support frame member,and a memory module, the method comprising the steps of: preparing thesupport frame member and a sheet material, the support frame memberhaving an opening, the opening comprising a recess and a through holeformed at the bottom of the recess, wherein the through hole is smallerthan the recess; cutting the sheet material into the size of the supportframe member to form the support sheet; bonding the support sheet to thebottom surface of the support frame member to form a frame; and fixingan end portion of a circuit board configured as a part of the memorymodule in the recess of the opening of the support frame member in theframe, the memory module having at least one semiconductor memoryelectrically connected to the circuit board.
 42. A card-type storagedevice produced according to the method of claim
 1. 43. A card-typestorage device produced according to the method of claim
 19. 44. Acard-type storage device produced according to the method of claim 30.45. A card-type storage device, comprising: a card-type support framemember made of one of a transparent and translucent material, thesupport frame member having an opening, the opening comprising a recessand a through hole formed at the bottom of the recess, wherein thethrough hole is smaller than the recess; a support sheet bonded to abottom surface of the support frame member; and a memory module havingat least one semiconductor memory sealed therein on a first surface ofthe memory module, a circuit board, and a flat external terminal exposedon a second surface of the memory module, the card-type storage devicebeing manufactured by the steps of: preparing the support frame memberand a sheet material; cutting the sheet material into the size of thesupport frame member to form the support sheet; bonding the supportsheet to the bottom surface of the support frame member to form a frame;and fixing an end portion of the circuit board in the recess of theopening of the support frame member in the frame.
 46. A card-typestorage device, comprising: a frame including a card-type support framemember having an opening and made of resin and a support sheet bonded toa bottom surface of the support frame member, the opening comprising arecess and a through hole formed at the bottom of the recess wherein thethrough hole is smaller than the recess; and a memory module includingat least one semiconductor memory electrically connected to a circuitboard, the circuit board having first and second surfaces and having anend portion fixed in the recess of the opening of the support framemember in the frame such that the second surface thereof aligns with atop surface of the frame.
 47. The device of claim 46, wherein thesupport sheet has an image printed on the surface thereof bonded to thesupport frame member.
 48. The device of claim 47, wherein at least oneof the support frame member and support sheet is made from one of atransparent and translucent material.
 49. The device of claim 47,wherein the support frame member has a write-protect area separate froman area where the image printed on the support sheet is present.
 50. Thedevice of claim 46, wherein the opening is provided with a stepped areato hold the semiconductor memory and a flat external terminal of thememory module.
 51. The device of claim 46, wherein at least one of thesupport frame member and support sheet is made from one of a transparentand translucent material.
 52. The device of claim 51, wherein thesupport frame member and support sheet are made from materials includingat least one of polycarbonate and polyester.
 53. The device of claim 46,wherein the frame is one of plurality of frames that are simultaneouslyproduced.
 54. A card-type storage device, comprising: a card-typesupport frame member including a first area and a second area, the firstarea having an opening and at least a portion of the second area beingmade from one of a transparent and translucent material, the openingcomprising a recess and a through hole formed at the bottom of therecess, wherein the through hole is smaller than the recess; and amemory module fixed including at least non-volatile semiconductor memoryand a circuit board, wherein said semiconductor memory contains certaininformation, and the second area has at least one of a picture andcharacters concerning said information, and an end portion of thecircuit board is fixed in the recess of the opening.
 55. The device ofclaim 54, wherein said information is digitized music information, andsaid picture indicates at least one of a singer and a player of themusic.
 56. A method of manufacturing a card-type storage device,comprising the steps of: preparing a card-type support frame memberhaving an opening which is formed convexly in a downward direction;preparing a sheet material; cutting the sheet material into the size ofthe support frame member to form a support sheet; bonding the supportsheet to a bottom surface of the support frame member to form a frame;and fixing an end portion of a circuit board configured as a part of amemory module in a step of the opening of the support frame member inthe frame, the memory module having at least one semiconductor memoryelectrically connected to the circuit board, the sheet material and thesemiconductor memory being not contacted therein.
 57. A card-typestorage device, comprising: a frame including a card-type support framemember having an opening and being made of resin and a support sheetbonded to a bottom surface of the support frame member, the openingbeing formed convexly in a downward direction; and a memory moduleincluding at least one semiconductor memory electrically connected to acircuit board, an end portion of the circuit board being located in astep of the opening of the support frame member in the frame such that asurface thereof aligns with a top surface of the frame, the sheetmaterial and the semiconductor memory being not contacted therein.